“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul”- Andri Cauldwell
If you shoot family portraits on a regular basis, you will notice that black and white family portraits are special in their own way.
It is as if the colored version of them is only distracting the viewers from the subject with all the colors present in the frame.
In this blog of our family photography series, let’s dive into why and how shooting family photographs in black and white can really make your photos look way better than in color.
What makes black and white family photographs so special?
You don’t always have to shoot in black and white from your camera to get the best results.
Shoot in color in the RAW format and later edit the colors in the post-processing using Lightroom.
Black and white family portraits are special in a lot of ways. Let’s dive into what makes them so unique:
They are timeless
Trendy editing styles come and go, but black and white are here to stay forever. Black and white family portraits of our grandparents are a great example of this.
Earlier, we were not technologically advanced enough to shoot in color, but even after the advancements in camera technology, black and white photos still remain a popular style.
As a family photographer, you can create exceptional photos of families in black and white that can stand the test of time.
A great quality of black and white family photos is that one cannot tell the timeline of when they were clicked. It could have been clicked weeks or years ago.
Mostly the hair and clothing style gives it away in the family portraits but we will soon cover that down in our blog so you can click timeless black and white portraits of families.
All About Emotions
Another feature of black and white portraits that makes them stand out is that they are all about emotions. It cannot be about what you are wearing or how pretty the scene is.
In (black and white) family photos, their beauty mainly lies in their emotions as their expressions are the most prominent thing of the portrait rather than the colors, location, or what they are wearing.
The main focus is on what emotions they are feeling and how they are making the viewers feel about it through their expressions.
Better Storytelling
Monochrome family portraits tell us stories about families like no other medium can.
As a family photographer, clicking black and white portraits of children from time to time will document a beautiful collection of memories of them growing up.
From their first walk as a baby to their first bicycle ride, shooting them consistently in black and white will tell their life story flawlessly and timelessly, which they and their family will cherish forever.
What to wear for black and white family photos?
In black and white family portraits, trendy picks with busy patterns or graphics are not suggested, as they give out the timeline of when the picture was clicked.
Also, avoid mixing dark and light-colored clothes, as they will be distracting to the viewers. Although dark-colored clothes are said to make you look slimmer, light-colored clothes will do just fine as well.
The key here is to keep the clothing as simple as possible and focus more on posing or emotions while clicking a documentary-style family photo rather than what you are wearing.
For kids:
Boys can wear something plain and formal, like a shirt. It can be a bit hard to find such clothing for young kids, but the result will be worth it. Girls can wear a pretty dress as long as it is not distracting.
Source: Mark Nixon Photography
Always recommend that your clients (Family members) to bring something extra in case they are not sure.
For men:
Again, keeping things simple is the key. For men, a nice, plain shirt with a good fit is the best choice. Wearing a round neck with a jacket will also look great. Just make sure it is going well with the rest of the family.
For women:
For black and white portraits, women look great in a plain, simple dress or a nice top with dark jeans. The mother and daughter duo can also match their clothes by wearing the same dress or one of the same color.
Shooting photos for black and white
It is important to note that it’s not mandatory to set your camera in the black and white mode to shoot amazing black and white family portraits. You can shoot the photos in color and later edit them in Lightroom, giving you more control over every color and tone.
However, as a family photographer, it is better to keep in mind that you are shooting for black and white and not for a colored version of the portrait. This will help you get rid of everything that will not look good in black and white.
The same is true for colored photos as some photos look great only when the colors are present in the portrait.
Light is really important in black and white photos and you will have to mainly adjust your camera settings according to the light, which is mostly the same for colored photos.
For family portraits in low-light areas, you can increase your ISO without worrying about the grain, as in black and white portraits, the grain can give the photo a rough, film-like look.
If you want to make the atmosphere of the family portrait look full of joy, choose a bright area to photograph the family in to reflect it in the black and white photo.
Editing Black and White Family Portraits:
Black and white editing of family photos can be based on the personal preference of the photographer or on the subject and their expressions, which family photographers can adjust accordingly.
If edited properly, black and white tones can greatly highlight the fine details present in the portrait.
In Adobe Lightroom Classic, there is a lot of room to play with using selective colors, tones, as well as HSL.
For babies and children, you can use soft black and white tones to make them look even more adorable.
Source: Mark Nixon Photography
For couples-only photos, you can use heavy contrast to give their portrait a romantic look.
Editing a photo can be very subjective especially when colors are involved but in black and white photos editing is more about balancing the highlights, mid-tones, and shadows- which all can be manipulated easily using the tone curve in Lightroom.
Conclusion
As a family photographer, you should be open to experimentation. Black and white portraits can be a great change if you have been photographing in color for a while.
It gives a new perspective to things such as light and shadows which some photographers can make use of creatively in their pictures.
“One sees differently with color photography than black-and-white… in short, visualization must be modified by the specific nature of the equipment and materials being used.”
-Ansel Adams
